Name of the Project
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) – underground ventilation system.

Location
New Mexico, in the US.

Client
US Department of Energy (DoE).

Project Description
The WIPP is the US’s only repository for the disposal of transuranic waste, which includes clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris, soil and other items contaminated with small amounts of plutonium and man-made radioactive elements from the US military programme. The disposal of transuranic waste is critical to the clean-up of Cold War nuclear production sites.

The project involves a key infrastructure upgrade at the WIPP to allow for increased progress in the DoE’s mission to address the environmental legacy of decades of nuclear weapons production and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.

The underground ventilation system, or Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System (SSCVS) will be vital to the DoE’s plans to increase shipments of transuranic waste to WIPP from clean-up sites across the DoE complex. The SSCVS will significantly increase the amount of air available to the underground portion of the WIPP facility. 

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Value
$288-million.

Duration
Construction of the new ventilation system is expected to be completed by early 2021.

Latest Developments
The DoE approved the start of construction of the project in May this year.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Contact Details for Project Information
US DoE, tel +1 202 586 5000 or email EM.WebContentManager@em.doe.gov.